Who walks among the famous living dead?

[isthistheregion]

Who| The Creature and Open
What| Getting some culture
Where| The Capitol Art Museum
When| Now-ish
Warnings/Notes| Will update if necessary

He still goes out in disguise. It's part habit: being seen in the midst of large crowds of people is still enough to make his skin crawl. But the rest now comes from a new phenomenon that is no less unpleasant: he can be recognized. His face, and his gruesome death, were seen by the entire country.

He might have confined himself to his room interminably, if doing so did not make him unbearably restless after a day or two. So he goes out, with a hood pulled over his head even as the weather starts to warm. Even then, he's been recognized a few times: once, a group of girls shrieked and ran away giggling. It had confused him until he'd realized they hadn't been frightened after all. The terror he once inspired in people has, for some, been reduced to a joke.

When he does go out, the museum is often his destination. It's one of the few places in the city where he doesn't feel bombarded with stimuli. And the art is enjoyable to look at.

He's inspecting a sculpture: walking around it to get a view from all angles, crouching down to peer through the negative space. He focuses on those strings, wonders if they might be plucked like an instrument. He reaches out a hand.

"Don't touch the art--"

The Creature looks up at the stern face of a security guard, who immediately goes a bit pale as soon as he sees who he's talking to.

"--sir. Sorry, sir. Please don't touch the art."

He draws back his hand, watches as the man nods, seeming satisfied, and strides away.

At least some people still take him seriously.

Comments

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy was steadily recovering from the effort to rescue Ian. Sure, it had ended in horrible pain and failure, but she had pretty much known that was how it was going to end anyway. The thrill of what she'd been doing, that she was at least defying only a little, THAT alone had been worth it. The idea of just being a mentor and staying complacent was a pretty sobering thought, so any way she could at least get some action ushered in was welcome.

Of course, appearances were just as important, and she'd done a pretty rebellious thing. Now, she knew, she needed to reel it in, show herself to be repentant, and that started with semi boring activities like this. It also involved her not feeling a special loathing for museums so soon after her last arena, but she could deal.

For now, she was in her least intimidating attire: pigtails, a ruffled white shirt and a plaid skirt up to her knee. Better to look and act the part right now.

[iwatchtjhooker]

Sam looks up from the painting he's been stuck gazing at, welcoming the distraction. He's about to dismiss it as another stranger, when he recognizes the figure. And he fears he'll get drawn into the painting again, looking for who knows what, if he doesn't pull himself away bodily.

"It does look like you're supposed to touch it," he agrees quietly, nodding towards the sculpture.

[isthistheregion]

He knew barely anything about what had been going on in the Capital since the Arena ended. Rarely spoke to the other Tributes, or the citizens -- anyone who didn't impose themselves on him.

But he still knew faces. Especially from the features and Arena highlights the Capitol broadcast. He watched a lot of television, when he was holed up in his room.

He recognized her. It took a second glance, because she looked so different... and more innocent than most people around here. But given the few things he knew about her already, that was either an act she'd chosen for herself or something the Stylists had forced on her.

He'd been eying her for more than a few seconds, and he noticed her noticing -- or at least turning in his direction. He gave something like a nod before his head turned away, doing an odd roll to one side before settling back to neutral.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Huh. There was a guy her, but something about him was definitely off. Somehow, he just looked like he didn't quite fit, like he was wearing something that was just too tight on him. Had she seen him without the disguise, likely she would have been able to tell: for now, it was just enough out of her reach.

Ah well. No point not being friendly, and being here pretending to take this all in was boring.

"Can you make heads or tails out of this one? Art was never my thing."

[isthistheregion]

That gets the man a turn of the head, a scrutinizing look through yellow eyes. This one, he doesn't recognize.

He's going to be on the lookout for an agenda for a moment or two. Capitol citizens always have one.

"It looks like an instrument," he says after the pause, conceding more to the conversation than the point.